Merry Christmas!

Yes, it is December 27th and I am just sending out Christmas wishes. Lately, I have felt like I have had nothing but discouraging news; so, I haven't written much. Nobody like a Debbie Downer.

We had a nice Christmas with my family in Concord and Brook's in Grand Rapids. Christmas eve, we went to my Uncle Jeff's - most of my mom's extended family was there - all 60 of us! Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted all my pictures from that night. :( Later that evening, we went to Christmas Mass, which was held at the Lumen Christi gymnasium. (The church staff did a really nice job transforming a gym into a worship space.)

On Christmas day, Brook and I opened our gifts to each other and then went out to my parents' house. Usually, all my siblings come over in the morning, but Wes and Jaime stayed home, since they have 2 little ones now. Veronica and Brandon and Hannah were there, though, and we had a fun time with them and my mom and dad. As always, my parents were very generous. My big gift was a vacuum (you know you're a "grown up" when getting a vacuum is exciting!) and Brook's big gift was a Taylor Made golf bag. He was so impressed that my mom got the exact one he wanted!

We headed to Grand Rapids early in the afternoon for Christmas with the Bisonets. Carey was there, as well as Trent and his family. Brook's parents made so much delicious food! After we ate, we opened gifts and again, received many nice things. I think my favorites were the Grand Rapids Entertainment book, iPod Nano (thanks, Carey!) and Gucci purse. I can't remember what Brook got, I was too enthralled with my book. Haha.

The last few days, we have been pretty relaxing. Yesterday, Brook worked and I hit the after-Christmas sales. Last night, we went the the Griffin's hockey game. (Dollar beer and dollar hot dogs on Friday night!) And today, we did some more shopping and then just vegged. It was great! I can't believe Christmas is over. I love having all the Christmas decorations up, especially the tree. It makes the house feel so warm and cozy. Jane's home tour inspired me to do the same, especially since this is my last Christmas in my house. It is somewhat bittersweet and I wanted to remember every decoration. I'll have to post those pics when I get home . . .

It is crazy to think that our wedding is less than 4 months away! I re-listed my house with a different realtor last week. If it doesn't sell, she said she would help me get it rented. I thought I would be moving in April, but I am not sure now. The Friday before Christmas, I found out that the position at Consumers, on the west side of the state, is not going to happen. So, I need to look for a job now. I didn't know whether I should laugh or cry (I did a little of both that day), but I have been surprisingly calm this last week. I have been feeling like things will eventually work out, which is SO not like me. It is definitely a grace from God that I am very thankful for. I hope you all had a very grace-filled Christmas, as well!

Saturday

It is 7:30, Saturday morning. . . I was awake at 5am. A lot is on my mind these days. Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts regarding the church and for understanding my sadness. The latest estimate is that the church will be restored by the "spring or summer." Well, our wedding is April 25th, so we are holding out that we may still be able to be married at Queens. If not, it looks as though it will be at St. Stan's.

We are in the middle of our marriage prep retreat. It was last night from 6-9 and this morning from 9-noon. I was honestly dreading having to go. I wanted nothing more than to sit at home and relax with Brook. But it ended up being at St. Stan's and the church was unlocked, as Queens is having all their Sunday Masses there now. I was able to show Brook the church, since he had never been inside. It really is a pretty church and the same Jesus is there and the same groom will be there. :) We decided not to get the invitations reprinted. If the marriage cannot take place at Queens, at least there will be some mention of my beloved church. We will just put inserts into the invite package to announce the new location.

Now, back to the marriage retreat. . . It is a course to help couples communicate better. Brook and I are such an anomaly - I am a HUGE talker and he is an attorney, need I say more? We talk ALL the time! We talk our problems to DEATH! Haha! We even stay pretty civil when dealing with our issues. But this course is not just for couples, it can be used for all sorts of relationships. Which is why the timing couldn't be more perfect. We are going through some tough times with Brook's former employer, which is to be expected, but it still doesn't make it easy. This course gave some great tools to deal with Mr. Former Employer. It is a Scripture-based class, which brings a lot of things into perspective. This is one of the verses mentioned last night, "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing. . ."

Well, I better get ready . . . busy day today . . . first the finale to this retreat, then the Bildner family Christmas in GR. Tomorrow, Brook has his "Rite of Acceptance," which is the first official step to becoming Catholic. Thanks again for all your prayers. Love to you all

Church Update

Now Thank We All Our God. That is what is written on the sign outside the church. I know it was up for Thanksgiving, but seeing those words brought tears to my eyes. In a way, it seems ironic. But we, as a church community, do have a lot to be thankful for. No one was hurt, structurally, the church is still sound and we still have each other - our faith community. I have a feeling this will make us much stronger.

Unfortunately, there is extensive smoke and water damage and it may take up to 1 year to restore the church to how it looked / smelled pre-fire. This makes me very, very sad. Walking down the aisle anywhere else, just doesn't seem right. I called Priscilla tonight and broke down. I knew she would understand, b/c she is also getting married next year. In a way, it seems silly to cry over a church, but I guess I don't have the words to express how important that place has been in shaping my life . . .

So, on to the practical matters - after the smoke clears (sorry for the bad pun), I am going to call the church to figure out where the wedding will be. I'm sure the parish staff will have enough to deal with, without me calling, asking about my wedding. SO, I will try to wait a few weeks. But not too long, b/c we will also have to get the invitations reprinted. I am so glad my sisters and I already stuffed all the invites. HA!

Bandit

I was checking my e-mail tonight and heard a rustling noise, coming from the living room. It sounded like a food wrapper. At first, I thought it was the TV, but when it continued, I decided to check it out. This is what I found.

Can you even tell what this is? Here's another shot.

Mr. Brady, my precious dog, found the 2 crackers that were leftover from dinner.

The animal has no shame - here he is licking his lips! He actually kept trying to get the crackers out of the package, while I was snapping pictures. If this is any indication of the way our kids are going to act, we are in big trouble!

In case there wasn't enough going on in our lives . . .

My mom just called and informed me that the church we are supposed to be married at (Queens) is on fire. Not a little fire, but flames shooting out of the building. This is heartbreaking, not because we are getting married there, but because of all the memories we have had in this church. I am trying to tell myself that it is just a building, but it is the church of my childhood and when I walk in, I sigh with a feeling of being home. Hopefully, the damage is not too extensive and all can be salvaged.

Tired

I am out of it today. How can I be tired? We didn't get out of our pajamas until 5pm yesterday! I came down with something Saturday and have been trying to fight it off with lots of sleep and Airborne. Neither has helped, but I am trying to convince myself that I would feel worse right now if I hadn't slept so much and taken Airborne like it was my job. I am honsetly close to tears, b/c I just had this a month ago for over 2 weeks!

Oh well. My head is kind-of foggy right now, so please forgive me if I don't make much sense. We had a nice weekend with our family and friends. Ate too much on Thursday and went to see "Four Christmases" with my family. It was decent, not the best Christmas movie, but ok. Here are some pics we took at my parents' house.

"Where should I sit?"

TAKE ONE


TAKE TWO

Grandpa & Grandma

Uncle Jeff & Aunt Cheryl's Family

Friday, we ended up getting up early to brave the crowds and attempt to get a good deal, b/c Brook wanted to get a laptop. Somehow, he came home empty-handed and I had all the bags! How does that happen? After a nap (which seems to be the recurring theme of the weekend), we ventured out to . . . Lowes to get our tree! So much for hiking out into the wilderness to get it! Then, I met Priscilla for dinner at Ground Round. We had a great time catching up and she asked me to be in her wedding! I am so honored to be a bridesmaid and lucky to have a friend like her.

Here we are, getting our tree at Lowes

Brady did not really enjoy the experience!

Saturday was Chass' baby shower in Concord and my 10 year class reunion at the Hunt Club. I have to admit that the reunion far exceeded my expectations! There were only a small group of people that showed up - 30 maybe? But it was fun to see everyone and catch up on what is going on in their lives. The funniest part of the evening was how much time we spent talking about our blogs! It seems that most people in attendance have a blog and we re-lived past posts. What did we ever do before blogging? :)

Yesterday, as I mentioned earlier, we didn't do much. We finished decorating the tree and barely managed to get out of our pajamas at 5 (after a nap, of course) to workout and grab some dinner. Sometimes, you just need a day like that, ya know?

Well, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, safe travels and are feeling ok. May you have a blessed Advent season, as we prepare, once again, to celebrate the birth of our Saviour!

It's been awhile . . .

Our last post was 2 weeks ago and a lot has happened in the Stevens / Bisonet households. I went to Chicago last weekend to visit one of my best friends from college. I took the commuter train out of Michigan City Friday morning, since it is only $15 round trip - versus $100 for Amtrak (out of Jackson.) Since gas is so cheap now (don't you just want to hug the gas station attendant every time you fill up?), I figured driving part-way would be cheaper. I ran right into a major snow storm in Kalamazoo, which left me wishing I had shelled out the moolah for the Amtrak ticket! I did make it to Michigan City, just in time, to catch the train. Once in Chicago, I had my first experience on a city bus. Well, I had ridden the bus before, in Poland, with my cousins. But this was my first time alone and I was VERY nervous. What if I get on the wrong bus? How do I pay? What if I miss my stop? Yes, these questions were all racing through my head. With the help of a few kind strangers, I made it on the right bus. I even managed to pay without causing a scene. I found a seat and announced to the guy next to me, "This is my first time on a city bus!" What a dork I am. He was kind and talked to me for awhile. Then, someone else sat by me and taught me how to "pull the string" to get off. So yes, I even got off at the right stop. Besides all the bus excitement, the weekend was full of shopping, delicious food and martinis. It was great to catch up with a dear friend, who has shared so much of my life over the last 10 years. Hard to believe it has been that long!

The other noteworthy item (and most exciting) is that after a lot of thought and planning, Brook left the law firm he was at last week. He, along with 2 other attorneys, have decided to begin their own firm. Most of the details are still up in the air, but it looks like the office will be in Grand Haven. Brook is very excited about the possibilities this holds for him. Being a typical accountant, I honestly have to say that I have had my share of sleepless nights over this. After much discussion with Brook and a lot of prayer, I think he has made the right decision and support him 100%. We both believe this will allow us to achieve the dreams we have for ourselves and our future family. Please keep us in your prayers at this time of transition.

As for the holiday weekend, we are beginning the festivities by joining in the obligatory "Night before Thanksgiving bar night." My sister is having a get-together at her house and then we may go to the Hunt Club. Thanksgiving, we will spend time with both families and eat way too much - 2 meals, only 3 hours apart - ugh! Friday we are going to go out into the woods and chop down our Christmas tree, like Paul Bunyan. Ok, probably more like Clark Griswold. And Friday night, we are meeting some friends from DC for dinner (SO excited for that!) Chass' baby shower is Saturday afternoon (can't wait to see her baby bump!) and then my 10 year class reunion is that evening. Why am I not excited AT ALL for this? But I am definitely looking forward to seeing Katie, Meagan, Jane and Chass all at the same time!



We want to wish you a very "Happy Thanksgiving" and let you know that we are so grateful for your presence in our lives, no matter how small. We are truly blessed, b/c we know you.